Breed of the Month--Coton de Tulear

Coton de Tulear

Color:  White ground color, also black, gray, yellow, tricolor, white markings
Height:  Males:  10-11.5 inches/  Females:  9-10 inches
Weight:  Males:  9-13 lbs/  Females:  8-11 lbs
Life Span:  14-18 years

Breed Health Concerns:  None reported.

Coat:  Single coat:  soft, dense, profuse, texture of cotton.
Country of Origin:  Madagascar

Visit the American Kennel Club for breed standards and more information.


The Coton de Tulear is believed to have arrived in Madagascar with Portuguese and Spanish sailors in the 16th century.  The name Tulear refers to a wealthy area on Madagascar, and Coton comes from the French word for "cotton," a description of the dog's coat.  The breed was brought to the United States in the early 1970s by world fancier Dr. Robert J. Russell.

This breed's affectionate but gentle nature has made him increasingly popular.  The Coton is eager to please and bonds strongly to his family, including children and other animals.  The Coton de Tulear is alert, energetic, sociable and cute.

Exercise:
The Coton de Tulear is able swimmer and loves to play, but generally speaking, one good walk a day will be sufficient for this breed.

Grooming:
The Coton de Tulear requires daily grooming to keep it tangle- and knot-free.  A pin brush (without balls on the end) is recommended to not tear the coat.  The Coton is an excellent choice for allergy suffers because his coat sheds very little.  Minimal bathing is required, but care should be taken to make sure the long hair between the dog's toes remains trimmed short.

Training:
The Coton de Tulear is known for his skills at "dancing," as the breed learns many cute tricks easily.  The Coton is eager to please and learns quickly when taught using positive reinforcement methods.

This is a client's Coton de Tulear puppy, Bala.

Challenge Accepted

I have been working with a nice couple in Kihei and their puppy, Bala, a Coton de Tulear.  He is a very sweet little pup and an amazingly quick learner.  I am extremely happy with the amount of work his family has put into training him!  Good job guys!

I have been working with Bala and his family for about 2 months now.  We have covered all the Basic Manners Obedience training and will soon be moving into more specialized training for Service Dogs.  In our most recent appointment this week, the owners wanted to focus on the walk.  Upon deciding to go over some Loose Leash Walking skills, I discovered that the owners have been unable to attach the leash to his collar and walk him that way, they have always used his harness.  The owners said he would NOT walk if the leash was attached to his collar.

Well, as a trainer, I always love a challenge, so I accepted this one.  Although Bala did initially have a negative reaction to the leash being attached to his collar, I worked with the dog and the owners on how to overcome this problem.  At some point, for whatever reason, Bala had a negative experience with someone attaching a leash to his collar (this most likely happened before the current owners got the dog).  To overcome this negative association, we must build a new, positive association with the leash being attached to the collar.  So I repeated the exercise of slowly and calmly attaching the leash to his collar and paid with his favorite cheese every time Bala relaxed a little bit.  After about 5 times of repeating this exercise, Bala became much more comfortable with the leash attached directly to his collar.

Then the next step...although we worked on building the positive association with attaching the leash, Bala still, of course, was reluctant to follow us out for a walk.  This was to be expected.  To overcome this problem we simple keep building the positive association with his favorite thing, cheese.  After about 30 seconds of some simple coaxing, Bala began to walk on the leash (attached to his collar instead of the harness) very well.  His family was very surprised and amazed that he did so.

This serves as a helpful reminder:  No matter what issue you may be having with your dog, no matter how difficult it may seem to overcome, there is always a way to get the dog to do what you want.  And that way is positive reinforcement!  :)